Become your own kidney advocate.
Learn how to slow the progression of kidney disease with my 6 Week Kidney Tune-Up.
My Kidney Tune-Up course is a complete mindset and habits transformation.
- If you're confused about how to slow the progression of kidney disease.
- If you're overwhelmed and need support.
- If it feels like you’ve tried everything and aren't getting the results you want.
Did you get ZERO advice from your doctor after being diagnosed with CKD? Were you told to just “drink more water and cut back on salt”?
Contrary to what you might have been told, dialysis or transplant are NOT the only options for people living with chronic kidney disease.
You can do SO MUCH MORE to improve your kidney function.
Achieve your personal goals with support from a community of others restoring their kidney health and a coach who is there to answer your questions every step of the way.
For me, kidney health is personal.
"Knowing what to do and doing it consistently are two different things. You will be successful because I am guiding, supporting, and holding you accountable."
Hi, I’m Julie Spears, founder of Optimal Kidney Health.
I’m a Certified Life & Health Coach, Kidney Coach, and Biology of Trauma Grief Coach.
I spent 21 years as a kidney educator. During that time I partnered with hospitals and nephrologists across the country to raise awareness and advocate for patients with CKD.
Having personally overcome kidney disease, I’ve helped thousands of people:
- Slow their kidney disease
- Avoid or delay dialysis
- Create lasting healthy habits
Most other programs hand you a meal plan, wish you luck, and walk away. But we all know that doesn’t work.
When you join my 6 week tune-up, you become a member of my Kidney Crew Community where I, along with many other kidney warriors, will be your partners in helping you become your own kidney advocate and achieve Optimal Kidney Health.
4 Steps to Slow Progression of CKD
- FREE -
I’ve lived with kidney disease for over 20 years. And during that time, I’ve coached thousands of people to living healthier lives and slowing the progression of their kidney disease.
Take my free course and jumpstart your way to better health.
What You'll Get in my 6 Week Kidney Tune-Up
- Part 1
6 Live Zoom Classes
When my clients learn about their CKD – really learn, from the inside out – something special happens. By understanding what’s happening in their body, they fear it less – the stress, the anxiety, and the pain.
This opens the door for change to happen at a deep level.
We will meet 1 time a week for 6 weeks over Zoom, where I’ll present the core ideas below and we’ll discuss how you can apply them in your life.
Each class is limited to 25 people to ensure a high level of interaction. There will be a small amount of homework but most everything you’ll need to learn will be delivered during the 6 live sessions.
Class 1 – Kidneys 101: The function of the kidneys and the importance of managing your kidney disease.
Class 2 – Understanding Kidney Health: Learn what lab tests are most important, how to interpret the results, and how to track them over time.
Class 3 – Diet, Nutrition, and Lifestyle Choices: Learn how diet and nutrition can improve your kidney health as well as other lifestyle changes you can make to help manage blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
We cover ideas for moving your body that can help improve cardiovascular health and insulin sensitivity, help with weight management, and improve mood and mental well-being.
Individualized nutrition plans will come from working with one of our partnered registered dietitians who is committed to slowing the progression of kidney disease.
Class 4 – Coping With the Emotional Impact of CKD: Strategies for managing grief, stress, and anxiety as well as the importance of self-care and having a support network.
Class 5 – Preventing Complications of Kidney Disease: The importance of logging your blood test results, showing up for your routine healthcare appointments, and strategies for preventing and managing complications such as anemia or bone disease.
Class 6 – Your Action Plan: In our final live session, we’ll review your manifesto and action plan for being your own kidney advocate. You’ll get feedback from me and the rest of the group.
Structure:
- Class size: Around 25 people.
- Sessions: 6x live Zoom sessions over 6 weeks.
- Session length: 1 hour + optional after hours.
- Content availability: All live sessions are recorded and available forever.
- Instructor: Coach Julie and expert guests.
- Cost: $245
- Part 2
Nine of my strategies for developing your self-management plan
You’ll get nine practical audio lessons designed to put you in control of managing your CKD.
Lesson 1 – Finding Community: We’ll go over several ways you can get involved and interact with the Kidney Crew online. Not only can you ask questions and get empathetic feedback, but you can also share with others what you’ve done, or how you have found success in managing your CKD.
Lesson 2 – The Power of Orienting: Reset your stress levels in seconds by learning how to pause, slow down and look around.
Lesson 3 – Creating a Baseline: You’ll set an appointment with your healthcare provider to get a current set of diagnostic tests. While at your appointment, you’ll take with you a set of questions I’ll provide to help you get clear answers about the stage of your CKD and what your options are for slowing the progression of your kidney disease.
Lesson 4 – Building Your Grocery List: We will review several different options for eating a kidney-friendly diet. You’ll then make choices from the menu, build a grocery list and stock your cupboard with the ingredients you need to create simple, delicious foods that help lower your blood sugar and blood pressure.
There will be opportunity to work with a Registered Dietitian for those seeking individualized specific renal diet needs.
Lesson 5 – Creating a Body Movement Calendar: Muscular tension and overall body stiffness are a nasty by-product of too much sitting in one place, not a lot of varied movement in day-to-day life, and quite frankly, not enough active play out in nature.
Some gentle exercise can be equivalent to taking a movement meditation vacation for your entire spine and also your mind. It can help iron out the kinks and melt away tensions.
We will review lots of options for moving your body a little bit each day. You’ll then choose from the options, put them on your calendar or refrigerator, and check them off as you complete each one.
Lesson 6 – Identifying Stressors in Your Life: Together we’ll go over several examples of stressors in people’s lives. You’ll then create a list of your 1-2 biggest ones and practice some of the destressing techniques many of my clients have found useful.
Lesson 7 – Identifying Coping Strategies: There are lots of coping strategies available to you. We’ll review several options for you to choose from. You’ll then make a note of when to use them and how, and record your results for Coach Julie.
Lesson 8 – Tense and Relax: Mindfulness training and meditation are hot stuff these days, yet so many people struggle with them. With some clever guidance and learning how to go INTO the tension, this exercise can teach you how to feel the tension as a way to release it. The result when you do this: MORE RELAXATION.
Lesson 9 – Meditation: Taking just a few minutes once or twice a day to meditate can have a massive positive impact on your stress. We’ll go over two simple meditation techniques and you’ll commit to a time for practicing it, once a day for the duration of this course.
- Part 3
Support, practice tips, and guest classes
Professional support: When you log into the community, I moderate all questions posed on a weekly basis so you get direct contact with me. You can ask your most pressing questions and get responses from me and other members of the Kidney Crew.
This is a great way to connect with others in the course as well, to not feel so alone while on this journey, and share in the camaraderie of the group.
Post-course practice tips: After the 6 weeks are over you will not be left in the lurch. Four practice tips will be waiting for you that can help you put all this learning into practice and play.
You’ll also continue to have access to the Kidney Crew community for the 12 months following the purchase of my course.
Guest classes: Some of my live classes will have expert guests joining in to cover specific topics and answer your questions.
6 Week Kidney Tune-Up
Real people, real connections, real results.
TB, Client
“Julie has been an awesome coach and inspiration! She was always gently nudging me toward my next goal and to take that next, sometimes uncomfortable, step to better myself.
I have made so many positive changes thanks to her influence and knowledge. Many thanks to her for always being there for me as a coach! I am forever grateful!”
Dr. Prakash, Colleague
“I have been practicing Nephrology for 40 years and am the Director of several dialysis units. One of my biggest challenges is that I can only spend a brief amount of time with patients.
Julie fills that gap with a broader range of kidney knowledge and teaches patients to make good decisions in the time between visits.
I have worked with Julie for over 20 years in the office, dialysis facility, and hospital. We performed the best when she was working with us.”
Kevin, Client
“I had the pleasure of working with Julie, and I can’t say enough about what a positive experience it was. She took the time to help me understand my kidney disease and provided practical tools and resources that have made a real difference in managing my symptoms.
What really stood out to me was Julie’s dedication. Her compassion and knowledge made me feel supported and heard throughout the entire process.”
Frequently Asked Questions
When you take on a challenge with a group in a live setting, you’re more likely to succeed. And with coach Julie checking on your progress, you can create healthy habits that last.
Not only does having the support of a group keep you on track, but it also gives you the opportunity to talk with others about your challenges.
I have lived with stage three chronic kidney disease for over 20 years. Not only have I learned how to manage my CKD, but I’ve also helped hundreds of others working as an educator at DaVita – the largest provider of kidney care services in America – for 17 years.
Yes. We meet live via Zoom as a class for one hour each week. Each class covers a different topic and ends with plenty of time for Q&A and some assignments for you to complete prior to our next meeting.
Spacing and repetition are an intentional part of the program’s design. Just as you wouldn’t go see a therapist every day for six days in a row, it is also way too much for our brains to be faced with a new lesson every day.
Rest, integration, and repetition are all crucial elements of becoming your own kidney advocate and they are built into the program for that reason.
Absolutely. Just set up a Free Consultation with me.
I look forward to talking with you.
My course is a good fit for people who like to work with someone who has been in their shoes. Because of my own experience with CKD, and trauma and grief, I also understand how people may be feeling about their CKD.
Most other programs out there only cover one or a few slices of the pie. Most completely miss how to empower YOU to manage your CKD.
They never stop to ask, “What do I need to watch and what do I need to ask in order to make better decisions?”
My 6 Week Kidney Tune-Up is your starter course to uncovering all of this.
To be completely honest, there is no other course in the world that I’m aware of that teaches you how to be in the driver’s seat with a supportive coach and community of others just like you.
On the days that we have a live meeting, you can expect to spend 1 hour meeting with me and the rest of your classmates.
For other days when you have an audio lesson (there are nine of these in total) you can expect to spend about 20-30 minutes watching, listening, reading, or practicing an exercise.
On the days that you DO NOT have a fresh new piece of content, I offer up resources for you to check out so you have something to reflect on, and I also allow this time for any catch-up or repetition of the previous video trainings and audio exercises.
YES. When you sign up for this course you’ll be able to post comments and questions for fellow Kidney Crew members to read. See how others are doing, ask for help, and support others in their journey.
YES. All of our live meetings are recorded and the supplemental video trainings and audio exercises are downloadable.
The materials are yours to keep.
Each class starts on the date noted in the registration and continues once a week for six weeks.
You can receive a full refund three days prior to starting the course. After that, you can receive a 50% refund.
6 Week Kidney Tune-Up
